Silverpelt
by Blue Da-Ba-Dee
Summary: When Redtail is killed by Tigerclaw and sent to StarClan, he learns that it's more than a peaceful retirement. Life after life is full of responsibility, mystery, and even danger.
1. This is Silverpelt?

Well, here we have a story about StarClan! It's my first Warriors fic, so be nice. And now... here I go!

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"What are you still doing here? Get back to your side of the river with the rest of your Clan!" Redtail of ThunderClan slashed his claws across the last RiverClan warrior's side. The other cat yowled with pain and dashed into the river, where he swam back into RiverClan territory. "The Sunningrocks are ThunderClan territory!" the tortoiseshell cat with a foxlike tail meowed after him, "Don't you dare come back!"

The ThunderClan deputy loped to the side of his Clanmate, the brown tabby called Tigerclaw. "We'll fight them for Sunningrocks again," the large cat meowed.

"No cat shall ever take what belongs to ThunderClan!" The tortoiseshell lashed his unusual tail.

Tigerclaw turned his gaze ominously toward Redtail. "I'm not so sure about that."

"What do you mean, Tigerclaw?"

"I have my own plans."

Redtail looked at Tigerclaw suspiciously. "If you mean taking over the Clan..." He started backing away. "...you can't. The leader is the one in charge."

"And how does one become leader?" Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes.

"You need to be deputy, which you aren't. I am ThunderClan's deputy!"

"Not for much longer."

Redtail's eyes widened. Before he could turn to run back to camp and warn the Clan, Tigerclaw pounced. The next thing Redtail knew, the other cat's fangs were deep in his neck. The deputy let out one loud yowl of pain and briefly saw one of the Clan apprentices, Ravenpaw, running back to camp. And then everything went black.

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"Well, well, well. It's Redtail."

The ThunderClan deputy lay in the grass. "Wake up!" a cat hissed, nudging Redtail with a paw.

Slowly and with a slight groan, the tom got to his paws. He opened his eyes and looked around. He appeared to be standing in the clearing of a beautiful, lush forest. A few other cats were nearby, one of which he recognized as... "Oakheart?"

The reddish-brown tom nodded.

Redtail looked at the other two cats, squinting slightly. One was creamy white with brown legs and a brown patch on her face. Her paws were white and so was an area extending from the corner of her eye to the bottom of her muzzle. The other was a tom with an almost glowing white pelt. He had a few splotches of golden-brown. They were, respectively, Redtail's old mentor, Purringheart; and the ThunderClan deputy when Bluestar was still just a warrior, Tawnyspots. "What... I thought you three were all dead!" Redtail gasped.

"We are, Redtail," mewed Tawnyspots.

"But... how can you be here right now? How did I get here and where is this? What happened to Tigerclaw?"

"Well," Purringheart meowed, somewhat bemused by Redtail's flurry of questions, "Tigerclaw is heading back to camp as we speak. As for your other three questions, we are here because this is where we live. You died. This is Silverpelt. You are now in StarClan."

Beyond surprised, the small tomcat looked around. The clearing was surrounded by remarkably tall trees with emerald-green leaves. A few flowers sprouted here and there. Redtail noticed a small blue one right in between his front paws. He lowered his head and cautiously sniffed it. It had a wonderful scent, like catnip in the mist one morning. He glanced up and saw Purringheart, Tawnyspots, and Oakheart bounding onto a smooth boulder. "Come up here with us, Redtail!" mewed Purringheart.

He nodded his head, but before joining the other three StarClan cats, he noticed that back at Sunningrocks, he was exhausted. Now it felt like he had all the energy he'd ever had back. Redtail paused for another moment to examine himself. All his scratches were gone. His pelt seemed to glow just slightly. He didn't even feel any pain where Tigerclaw had bitten him. The tortoiseshell purred for a moment before scrambling onto the rock with his acquaintances. "Wait," Redtail meowed, realizing something, "Who will be the new ThunderClan deputy?" Please, Bluestar, he thought, don't choose Tigerclaw... for the sake of the Clan!

"Let's see," muttered Tawnyspots. He closed his eyes and flattened his ears.

Redtail eyed him strangely. "What's he doing?"

"Focusing," Oakheart replied simply.

Right then, an image of Bluestar on the Highrock appeared where Redtail had been standing a moment ago. A small heap of torn tortoiseshell fur lay below. Redtail looked closer. It had a bushy ginger tail and, though it was barely noticeable under the bloodstained fur, there were four deep tooth marks in its neck. Of course, he realized, it was his body! "And now I shall name ThunderClan's new deputy," Bluestar meowed solemnly, "I say these words before the body of Redtail, so that his spirit may hear and approve my choice." She paused for a second and then continued, "Lionheart will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

"Thank StarClan!" Redtail mewed with relief, hearing that Tigerclaw wasn't named deputy. When the other three cats stared at him, he quickly said, "I mean, thank LionClan." He pictured the majestic golden tabby tom in his head. "I most certainly do approve. But what about my apprentice, Dustpaw?"

As if answering him, the ThunderClan leader's voice went on, "Redtail was also mentor to young Dustpaw. Since there must be no delay in the training of our apprentices, I shall appoint Dustpaw's new mentor immediately. Darkstripe, you are ready for your first apprentice, so you will continue Dustpaw's training."

The image changed to the gray tabby tom called Darkstripe touching noses with Redtail's old apprentice, a brown tabby. "I thought Longtail was already Darkstripe's apprentice," Redtail pointed out.

Purringheart shrugged. "Bluestar probably... has a bit much on her mind. Is that all you needed to know?"

"Not so fast, Purringheart," meowed Tawnyspots, "Redtail, you may find this interesting." The spotted tom closed his eyes again. Darkstripe and Dustpaw faded and instead a young fire-colored tom appeared next to a longhaired gray apprentice, Graypaw. "That is Firepaw. He's a new Clan apprentice."

Redtail examined the cat. "I don't remember any she-cat having a Firekit." He turned to Tawnyspots. "Where is he from?"

"He was a kittypet until Bluestar invited him into the Clan. He seems to get on well with young Graypaw. Now come along, we'd like to show you around Silverpelt."

The four StarClan warriors leaped off the boulder, but only four of them left the clearing. Redtail remained, staring at the image of Firepaw, who was talking with Graypaw about one of the other apprentices, the she-cat called Sandpaw. "I'll be watching you," he whispered before loping after the others.


	2. StarClan Territory

Wow, I didn't expect to get that many reviews for just the first chapter! sighs I feel special. Now, let's continue with the adventures of a dead cat in chapter two!

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"Here we have the Moon's Pool," Tawnyspots meowed, "Every now and then, all of StarClan will gather here for an important meeting."

The four cats stared into a wide pool in the middle of a rocky hollow. The clear, sparkling water reflected the stars as well as the moon, which was bigger than Redtail ever remembered seeing it while he was alive. A large rock hung out over the water, like ThunderClan's Highrock. Redtail leaned forward and lapped at the shimmering liquid. It was the sweetest, purest water he'd ever tasted. Then he realized that he was somewhat hungry. "Do we eat in StarClan?" he asked.

Purringheart flicked her tail. She turned around and sniffed the air, then let out a soft purr as she approached a nearby tree. There was a small hole in the bark, which the she-cat reached into with a paw and pulled out a fluffy red bird, which she swiftly bit on the neck. Purringheart padded over to the three toms and pushed the bird over to Redtail. "Try it," she mewed.

Redtail yanked out a mouthful of blood-colored feathers and carefully took a bite. "It's wonderful!" purred the former Clan deputy.

"Yes, the prey here is terrific," mewed Tawnyspots, "Since we're dead, we don't have to eat or drink, but we certainly like to." When Redtail had finished with the bird and buried the remains, the golden-patched tom started to climb back out of the hollow. He signaled with his tail for the others to follow. "There are a few other very important places to see. We'll let you discover some on your own, but a couple you need to know."

The four cats soon came across a trail of dirt, the kind worn out by Twolegs. "Are we following that?" The tortoiseshell's fur bristled.

"Surely you're not afraid of Twolegs?" Purringheart chuckled, "There are none up here, and even if there were, I don't know if they could do us any harm. We are already dead, after all."

"Of course." Redtail nodded, slightly embarrassed.

He followed the trail with the three other StarClan cats, Tawnyspots and Purringheart in the front and he and Oakheart in the back. Oakheart was gazing at the ground, probably deep in thought about something. "I'm sorry," Redtail muttered to Oakheart, "but still, it was the rock fall that killed you, not me."

Oakheart sighed. "It's not that."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Bluestar," he muttered.

Redtail paused. "What?"

The RiverClan warrior sighed again, but didn't say anything else. As they continued along the trail, the trees grew denser and the forest was getting darker. "Here we are," called Tawnyspots from way ahead of everyone else.

Purringheart bounded to where his voice came from, and the RiverClan and ThunderClan deputies followed. All they could see were glowing eyes; Purringheart's blue ones, Tawnyspots' and Oakheart's amber ones, and Redtail's green ones. Then there was the sound of Tawnyspots muttering, "Ah, here it is," and a bush being pushed to the side. That revealed a hole. It was bigger than a foxhole and it was illuminated in the pitch darkness by a number of unusual insects, glowing green. Redtail's former mentor purred as one landed on her muzzle. "These are fireflies. Aren't they pretty?" She motioned toward the hole. "And that is the Dream-Tunnel. We enter there to walk in our old homes, sometimes visiting old friends..." Purringheart lowered her voice "...in their dreams."

Redtail's ears pricked. "How does that work?"

"Just think of the cat you want to see. They'll be wandering near you wherever in the forest you like."

"We'll be visiting one more place, a very important place, but first we need to find the trail again," meowed Tawnyspots.

The tortoiseshell padded away from the hole and through the gap in the bushes, but away from the fireflies, it was all black. Then Redtail went back toward the Dream-Tunnel and herded some of the luminous insects with his tail toward where they came from. "I see the trail," he called back over his shoulder.

"Excellent."

They all came to where Redtail was standing, and once they figured out which way the dirt path was leading, they headed back to the lighter part of the forest. "There's one more place we'll be showing you for now," the white, spotted tom meowed, "You might be in for a little shock once we arrive."

Redtail followed the other cats for a ways. Then he realized he heard other cats. A million voices were mingled together, each talking about something different. The voices were getting closer, and soon the group came to a wall of woven plants. A hole was about a mouse-length above the floor, low enough for a kit to crawl into but high enough for a warrior to jump through without their paws touching the ground. They slipped inside. Revealing a large clearing surrounded by trees with a few boulders here and there. A particularly tall boulder stood in the middle, like the Great Rock at Fourtrees. The clearing, however, wasn't so clear. There were cats of every build, size, and fur color. As Redtail walked with the others, trying to stay close and avoid getting lost, he felt himself crash into something furry, and something briefly yelped, "Ack!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he apologized, but he gasped.

He was staring into the face of a giant tawny cat with big brown eyes. "No, I'm sorry!" it said in a friendly way, "I guess I wasn't looking."

"That's alright..."

The cat was walking away, but Redtail continued to stare. Noticing, it looked back. "Haven't you seen a lion before?"

Redtail shook his head. "I died only very recently," he told the strange cat.

"Of course. Redtail!" It nodded. "You shall like it here in StarClan." The giant cat nodded again, and then loped off.

Tawnyspots came up next to the younger ThunderClan deputy. "That was Sunear you just met. She is from LionClan."

"That was a lion...? Why didn't she have a mane?"

"She-lions have no mane."

"Are the other warrior ancestor Clans found here, too?"

His question was answered when a large, lithe, spotted cat and an immense golden creature striped with black walked past. "Hello, Tawnyspots. And welcome, Redtail," the spotted one greeted.

The tortoiseshell's green eyes widened. StarClan was home to LionClan, TigerClan, and LeopardClan! "This place is called the Silverheart," meowed Tawnyspots, "And there are three more cats you should meet, Redtail."

"Where are Oakheart and Purringheart?" Redtail asked, glancing around.

"I'm not sure, but we can go without them. And I know Oakheart died not too long before you, but the Silverheart was the first place he was shown." The older cat padded away. "Come on."

Redtail nodded and followed. The two toms came to a very large gap in the wall, which, when they entered, turned out to be the entrance to a tunnel of plants. The tunnel led to a cave, lit, like the Dream-Tunnel, by fireflies. But these ones were bright white. Some flowers and grass managed to sprout in small cracks in the rock. There were three more caverns that were too large for Redtail to see all the way inside, but they were lit by unusual crystals. The ones in the right cave glowed deep purple. The light from the left cave was blue. The middle cave was brilliant gold. "Hello, it's me, Tawnyspots. I hope I am not disturbing you."

"Not at all."

Then the three biggest, most majestic cats that Redtail thought he would ever see emerged from the caves. The one on the right was a she-tiger, on the left was a leopard, and in the middle was a magnificent lion. "I brought Redtail," mewed Tawnyspots, who turned to the younger cat. "These are Stripedstar, Spottedstar, and Goldstar, the first leaders ever in the forest, since the Clan system began."

"Greetings, Redtail," the lion, Goldstar, said in a deep voice. His brown eyes flashed and he took a step closer, looming over the two cats. "You are of ThunderClan, yes?" he asked.

The small tom nodded. "That's correct."

"Hmm." He blinked slowly and nodded, as if he suddenly understood something. "Well, I hope you soon feel at home here in Silverpelt. It is getting late. When you wish to sleep, choose any spot in the forest you like. Many sleep here in the Silverheart, as it is like a Clan camp, but it does not matter." Goldstar and the other two leaders lowered their heads. "Good night." They returned to their caves.

Tawnyspots and Redtail left the den of the great leaders. The clearing wasn't as crowded now, and many of the cats still there were choosing places to sleep. Tawnyspots himself left the Silverheart to find a spot. Redtail, after a little while, was able to find the Moon's Pool, and he found a smooth, flat rock to sleep on. He gathered some leaves and grass and laid them on top of his rock to use as a nest. The he lay down. But as he was starting to drift off into sleep, he felt something nudging him.

"Alright, Redtail," the voice of Oakheart meowed, "Do you want to know what I was thinking about on our way to the Dream-Tunnel? Wake up and I'll tell you."


	3. The Third Kit

Alas, an update! I have so many stories to catch up on, but I promise to update them little by little.

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Redtail yawned and stretched out over the rock. Once he opened his eyes, he started scanning the area in front of him for Oakheart until he felt a jab in his side. The ThunderClan cat turned his head as far as he could. His fellow once-Clan deputy was standing not quite behind him. Yawning again, Redtail turned to face him. "So... What is it?"

"It's about Bluestar," Oakheart meowed, looking down at his paws, "First of all, you know how when she was still named Bluefur, she had three kits?"

The ThunderClan tom nodded. "I can't remember their names were, but I think they were eaten by a fox..." Redtail let his eyes wander down, but then they shot back up to Oakheart. "What about them?"

"They weren't eaten. I took them to RiverClan's camp late at night. A queen, now an elder, named Graypool looked after them, and two of them are both now strong, noble warriors of RiverClan. Their names are Mistyfoot and Stonefur."

"You took three ThunderClan kits?" Redtail mewed in a low voice.

"Yes." Before Redtail could say anything else, Oakheart looked up and continued. "But there's a reason. A queen can't become a deputy, but a warrior can. Bluestar had to get rid of her kits or that cat named Thistleclaw would have been chosen as the deputy when Tawnyspots retired. According to Bluestar herself, he wouldn't have been the right choice, and I agreed." He added, "And before you say anything else about stealing kits, Bluestar asked me to take them. They weren't just her kits." The RiverClan tom paused. "They were mine."

Redtail couldn't believe he forgot something that had happened before his and Oakheart's death. He had been fighting Stonefur, only to be pulled away by Oakheart. "Is that why you said that ThunderClan should never harm Stonefur and I'm guessing Mistyfoot? Because that was the Clan they were born to?"

Oakheart nodded. "The kits aren't who I'm really worried about, though."

"Then what are you worrying about?"

"Well," Oakheart continued, "Tigerclaw thought up a decent story to get himself the position of deputy. He told your Clan, just after you died and before you woke up in Silverpelt, that I killed you and he killed me in revenge." He sighed. "I'm a little worried that Bluestar will feel kind of torn between you, one of her best friends, and me, her mate. For all we know, the fact that Tigerclaw said he killed me could have been the only reason she made Lionheart the new deputy instead of Tigerclaw."

Redtail couldn't think of anything else to say. Noticing Oakheart's anxious and somewhat sad expression, he decided to change the subject. "You said two of your kits grew up to be worthy warriors," he noticed Bluestar had three kits. What happened to the other one?"

"Oh." The reddish-brown cat's eyes lit up. "Well, he..."

The deputies were interrupted by a rustling in the nearby bushes. They both whipped around in the direction of the noise, fur bristling. A wide pair of blue eyes glowed in the moonlight. "Daddy?" a voice meowed.

"'Daddy?'" echoed Redtail, looking at Oakheart.

Oakheart sighed as he leaped off Redtail's rock. "You shouldn't leave the nursery this late at night."

"You said it was safe. 'Cause we're already dead."

The speaker slowly walked out of the bushes to meet Oakheart. It was a tom kit. His fur was unusual; it was mostly the same rusty color as Oakheart's, but in some places it seemed to intermingle with gray. As the kit padded forward, his fur rippled from reddish to blue-gray and back. Redtail knew he had seen this kit before, but he couldn't remember the name... "B-Berrykit!" he finally called out, also jumping off the stone.

Berrykit cocked his head. "Red... R... Redtail?"

"That's me," Redtail purred, "I haven't seen you it's safe to say in seasons!"

The tiny cat took a few steps in the tortoiseshell's direction, examining him from ear tips to the pads of his paws. "I didn't even know how to talk when I last saw you! You're really a deputy from Mommy's Clan?" the kit squeaked, "You're pretty small! How old are you?"

The RiverClan cat shook his head slowly with an amused expression. "Come on, Berrykit. It's about time you went back to the nursery."

"I want to ask him something!" whined Berrykit.

Oakheart was already padding past his kit toward the bush he emerged from. "It can wait until tomorrow," he meowed patiently, "Let's go."

There was a small and challenging but still playful growl from Berrykit, but Oakheart was already out of sight and there would be no use in protesting. "Wait!" The young tom bounded after him.

Redtail stared in the direction they had gone until he could no longer hear their pawsteps. Then he climbed back onto his rock, ready to sleep. But right when he was curled up and closed his eyes, a voice said, "Hello."

The ThunderClan cat scrambled to his paws. It was Oakheart again. "How did you get back here so quickly?"

"The nursery isn't too far from here," mewed Oakheart, "If I ran from the Moon's Pool to the nursery, it would take... about the time it would take for a mouse to run across the Thunderpath."

"So, StarClan has a nursery?"

"Where else would all the really young kits go if they died? They shouldn't just wander off like Berrykit."

Redtail gave him an awkward look. "Could any harm actually come to them? I mean, they are dead."

"Well," the other deputy meowed, eyes darting around, "I don't think anything would actually kill them. They still could get lost." He looked directly up at Redtail. "And I was shown the nursery right before you died and Tawnyspots, Purringheart, and I had to show you around, in case you were wondering."

There was a pause. "I can't believe I nearly forgot Berrykit, even though it has been a long time since Bluestar told everyone they were missing." Redtail just thought of something to say. "He seems kind of... curious."

"I'm not sure it's that so much as he feels like he should know almost everything about almost everyone." Oakheart began grooming his tail, seemingly a bit embarrassed. "And have you noticed how Tawnyspots died as an elder when ShadowClan attacked your camp once?"

Redtail's eyes flashed. "How did you know?" he hissed.

"Bluestar told me," Oakheart calmly mewed before continuing, "Anyway, he looks like a warrior now, not at all like a very old cat. Even some of the warrior ancestors look fairly young. That's something else I'm worried about. Berrykit is so immature; if we don't get any older in Silverpelt, I don't think he'll ever grow up!"

"At least he looks almost like an apprentice now."

"He's still got the mind of a kit," sighed the RiverClan tom.

Redtail shrugged and decided to say the first thing that came to his head, though he wasn't sure how helpful it was. "Maybe that's not such a bad thing."

"Maybe." Oakheart yawned, opening his jaws wide and showing his keen fangs. "Well, I'm sorry for waking you up twice. Now I should sleep, too."

The ThunderClan deputy practically let his paws slide out from underneath him. "Good night," he murmured.

Oakheart nodded before loping off. Perhaps he's going to sleep near the nursery, thought Redtail. The tortoiseshell shut his eyes and waited... but he still wasn't falling asleep. He probably had a bit much on his mind. With a sigh, he sat up and lay down facing the opposite direction. From here, Redtail could see down to the bottom of the hollow where the Moon's Pool was. He fixed his gaze on the reflection of the moon. It seemed to clear his thoughts. Now he felt perfectly relaxed. Once he closed his eyes, he just drifted off. Yes, he chose an excellent sleeping spot.

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Now for a random question. Which character do you like best so far?


	4. Prophecy

Here we are! Another chapter of Silverpelt. I'm worried this one isn't quite as interesting as the rest, but it introduces a few new cats and I hope you all like it anyway. Enjoy it!

And one more thing. I see everyone likes Berrykit! Well, how could you not resist the little guy? Heh heh!

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Silverpelt at the break of dawn was a sight to behold, particularly at the Moon's Pool. A dark sky, just like midnight, was overhead with a golden border of sunlight. The sun could be seen low in the sky, just peeking over the trees. Its glow reflected off the pool, making it look as though another sun was sitting at the bottom of the hollow. The rays warmed up the rock Redtail was sleeping on and he woke up to the beautiful sight and the warm boulder.

He stood up and stretched, facing the Moon's Pool. It was gorgeous the way the water shimmered. "It's like the Sunningrocks," he yawned, feeling the temperature of the rock.

When the tortoiseshell felt mostly awake, he jumped off his nest and scrambled down the rocks surrounding the pool. He squinted just a little, since the sunlight shining off the pool was very bright up closer. Then Redtail started lapping at the water. It still felt wonderful after his first taste.

When he turned around to leave the hollow, he saw Tawnyspots looking down at him from the top of the rocky wall. "Good morning," the spotted tom meowed.

"Good morning." Redtail nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get a drink." The older deputy climbed into the hollow. "Also, Goldstar, Stripedstar, and Spottedstar like to send cats to check on the newcomers to StarClan."

Redtail purred. "I think it's wonderful here. I'm starting to settle in already. Is that all you needed to find out?"

"No. I need to tell you one thing. It's important that all cats of StarClan know. You, Oakheart, and three other cats are the only ones who currently have not been informed." He looked at Redtail intensely. "It's a prophecy. 'Fire alone will save ThunderClan.'"

"All cats? If it's ThunderClan the prophecy says will be saved..."

"The three first leaders believe it will eventually affect all the Clans. Do not forget it. And by the way," Tawnyspots continued, "I was hoping you could find the other three cats who haven't yet been told and pass it on."

"Why haven't they been told yet?" asked Redtail, "Are they at all far out of reach?"

"Not particularly, but they're sort of hard to find."

"Well then, how will I know them when I find them?"

"One is Tornside. He is a large black-and-white tom. You should be able to recognize him when you see him if you keep the name in mind. His sister is named Darkfur. Her fur is very dark gray. They were both from WindClan. The last might have been told, but just in case, his name is Fallingleaf. He has brown fur, and last I saw him, he didn't look at all groomed. He is from ShadowClan."

The small tom nodded. "I'll look out for them. Where are they usually?"

"They spend most of their time over there." Tawnyspots flicked his tail in the direction of the sun. "If you are not planning on anything today, could you go speak with them?"

"Right away," Redtail mewed, nodding once again, climbing back out of the hollow and taking off in the direction of the sun.

He heard Tawnyspots calling, "Good luck!" behind him.

-----

Redtail hadn't gone that far, less than the distance between Fourtrees and the Moonstone, when he found the trees thinning and a grassy hill rising up before him. "Maybe this is where they live," he muttered to himself, "I see why a WindClan cat would want to live here."

Taking his time, he ascended the hill, giving him a view of a spacious moorland, swept all over by a refreshing breeze that cooled him under his fur and played with his whiskers. He slightly squinted his green eyes and saw more trees in a little valley between two hills. The deputy remembered that he was looking for three cats. Two were WindClan, but one was ShadowClan. A ShadowClan warrior would probably feel comfortable among the trees. That would probably be the best place to start looking.

Once Redtail reached some fairly flat ground, he ran for the valley at a satisfying speed. He felt the wind even stronger, ruffling his multicolored coat. Then he could smell cats. One scent he'd smelled on the Thunderpath border every patrol he'd taken there. The ShadowClan tom was definitely there. In a little while, branches of willows dangled above his head.

"Fallingleaf?" he called, "Darkfur? Tornside? Is anyone here?"

There was no answer. As he padded deeper into the little forest, he found pine trees among the willows, then oaks, then birches. The scent of cats grew stronger with the variety of plant life. Finally, he saw a small pond with a dark gray she-cat crouched beside it, lapping up the water.

"Darkfur?"

She looked up and her blue eyes narrowed slightly suspiciously at him. "Yes. Who are you?"

"My name's Redtail," he meowed casually, "I died just last night. I'm from ThunderClan."

"Why'd you come all the way over here?" asked the WindClan she-cat.

"I was asked to deliver a message to you. Have you been told about any prophecy?"

Darkfur shook her head.

"Tawnyspots told me this morning. It's..."

"Wait a moment!" the gray cat interrupted, twitching her whiskers. She looked around her and yowled, "TORNSIDE!"

Another WindClan cat emerged from a patch of ferns nearby. He was mostly black with a white face, chest, stomach, paws, and tailtip. His tail was a bit bushy. "What is it?"

"This is Redtail. He was sent to tell us about a prophecy."

Tornside turned and faced Redtail, showing his right side and revealing that side had many quite noticeable scars. One shallow scar stretched from his shoulder to his leg. Another nicked his leg. A third ran from the joint of his foreleg to his paw, and a final one ran vertically across his eye. "Alright, what is it?"

"I was told there was a third cat," Redtail politely mewed, "Is Fallingleaf nearby?"

Tornside shrugged. "I'm not sure, but if you give us the prophecy, we will tell him."

"Alright." He paused and took a breath. "The prophecy is... Fire alone will save ThunderClan."

Darkfur cocked her head. "Why is this important to us?"

"I don't know. Tawnyspots is the cat who told it to me. He said that Goldstar, Stripedstar, and Spottedstar believe it'll affect all the Clans. Would that matter to you?"

The black and white tom just stretched in a little sunlight falling through the tree branches above. "Not much," he yawned, "My sister and I don't attach ourselves to Clans, not even our birth Clan. We're not warriors of WindClan anymore. We hardly even interact with other StarClan cats except for Fallingleaf if we can help it. There are gatherings and meetings that we go to, but otherwise we are independent cats, and these hills and this little forest are practically ours. Fallingleaf, too."

His sister gave him an almost shocked look. "WindClan doesn't matter any more to us than any other Clan anymore? That isn't what you show me."

Redtail was immediately curious, but the first question he asked was, "You mean almost no cat comes here?"

"No." Tornside shook his head. "Silverpelt's so big, you can't imagine it. There are places to go other than here. I suppose not many cats bother walking to the edge of the woods or over the hills."

"A pity, though," purred Darkfur, "It's so peaceful here."

She was addressing Redtail, but since Tornside said WindClan didn't matter to them, she had been looking at him with a trace of disbelief.

"Is that all, Redtail?" meowed Tornside, "You ought to get going, or the sun will be setting by the time you're away from the moor."

"Oh... Yes. Thank you for listening. Goodbye."

Tornside nodded and the ThunderClan cat turned to leave. But he couldn't help himself. After two fox lengths, he called over his shoulder, "Darkfur, can I speak to you?"

The gray she-cat loped to his side. "Yes?"

"You seemed strange when your brother said that WindClan wasn't important to you two anymore. Do you still feel connected to those who would be your Clanmates?"

Darkfur vigorously shook her head. "No! I swear to LionClan. WindClan is no different from any other Clan in my eyes."

"Alright."

But as he was finally leaving the grove, he could barely hear Darkfur saying something to herself. "Stupid brother," she whispered, "That's not true. You know that Fallingleaf and I feel that way, but not you. WindClan still means as much to you as it did before, and I know why."

-----

Don't worry, you'll eventually meet Fallingleaf. That's it for now. I hope I can actually update in less than three months this time.


End file.
